Evolution. Directed, controlled evolution. The thing humanity had been aiming at and made limited progress in achieving using tools like eugenics and CRISPR. The Holy Grail wrapped inside a Pandora's box, and the very thing that we had been promised as a 'reward' for our achievements in survival. And now it was sitting on our stat screen like an unexploded bomb.

I'm honestly not sure I've ever been so terrified.

"Alright," I took a deep breath doing my best not to publicly panic, "We need to get ahead of this, tell everyone to spend those tokens we got and warn them to absolutely not try evolving just yet. Make sure you get clear verbal confirmation from them about it. I'll go start doing the same so we can hopefully get this taken care of in as controlled a way as possible."

"Joe? You feeling alright," Damian said. looking at me oddly. Which is saying something for a bug eyed miniature velociraptor with cat ears, "I get that this is big, but you're acting like we just found a lost nuke or something."

I looked at Damian as levelly as I could while making sure no one was close enough to overhear. "Damian, I have been trying to keep it together all day after waking up with no limbs, getting damn near bitten in half, among another half dozen near death experiences, just figured out that we all might have some sort of control over a mysterious force that might or might not be magic, and just found out that we have a massive absolute unknown that is currently sitting on a status window in our eyes because on top of everything else we might very well have been shifted into a computer simulation assuming we haven't been in one all along, on top of having no idea on the current status of any of my family. I am trying *very* hard not to just collapse into a catatonic state or spend the next hour as a gibbering wreck."

Damian seemed to be blankly absorbing that for several seconds before giving a small nod, "Alright, that's fair. Any reason for why evolution in particular has you worried? In case people ask ya know?"

"Because it is a complete and utter unknown," I reiterated before elaborating, "Is this evolution like in Porta'mon where it's a natural progression from the current form? Is it more akin to Cybermon where house cats turn into twelve foot tall women or draconic construction equipment? Is it actually what was promised to us, fully directed evolution where we basically mix and match parts towards whatever we want like in the game Mitosis? Is it painful? Does it leave us nigh on feral with hunger from the sudden mutations? Or does it lock us in eggs or a chrysalis for weeks to years to let the changes happen slowly or any other one of a dozen possibilities flickering through my head right now?" I fought to force the rising panic and near hysteria out of my voice, "I don't know and *that*" I pointed at the literal carpet of corpses next to the mauled mass of the area boss, "Has kindly reminded me that unknowns are potentially deadly."

Worried concern seemed to flicker across Damian's expression before quickly returning to neutral, "Alright, I'll pass that along. You sure you're going to be okay?" Damian asked, I somehow felt that nearly all of his multifaceted eyes were focused on me now. "You want me to go get Omar so you two can talk or something?"

"No," I said levelly, slamming down on my panic with a mental hammer and trying to compartmentalize my various worries and dreads away. The words of my gran-pappy echoing through my mind, Boy, yer ah boy, but sum day youw'll be ah man. An' as ah man folk we'll be looken ta you fer guidence iffen thangs get rough. Iffin' you break down cryin' an' screamin' an what not you'lln jus' make 'em start frettin' cauz they'll see ya ain't got ah 'andle on things. Now man up an' quit yer whinin'. We'z got a fair few miles ta go still. "No, I'll be fine. Just give me a minute to get my head in order and send folks over to me so we can explain this all at once."

"If you're sure man." Damian said, still looking at me worriedly, but still moved off to start passing word to everyone else.

I took several slow calming breaths to make sure I was back in a functional state after coming far too close to losing control and having a public meltdown. I can make it through this, I made it through college and that time on the mountain, I can get through this as well. Just need a distraction to keep from dwelling on it and worrying myself into a wreck. The mutagen and fusion tokens seemed like good distractions while I waited for everyone to gather.

–You have received a Random Mutagen Token: E–

–Would you like to redeem your Token?–

In all honesty no, but I see literally no advantage to turning it down while I still have open slots. If it's bad, hopefully I can-. Oh who am I kidding, with my luck it's guaranteed to be bad. I honestly kind of low key hated the mutagen tokens, as non vital body modifications were always something that left me queasy and repulsed in nearly any setting that had them. The fact that this was a random one just made it feel like I was playing a game of russian roulette where all but one of the chambers was filled. Oh I hope this doesn't give me an udder or something equally cursed.

–SysAutoGen_BonusLoot…–

–Received: Respiring Mutagen E–

Respiring? I've received a mutation that lets me breathe? Admittedly, I did have that horrid pins and needles sensation now filling my lungs at the moment which felt absolutely terrible and was doing absolutely nothing for my state of mind! Frankly, if there was someone out there who didn't panic at least a little by feeling their lungs going numb and knowing it meant an unknown force was actively altering them, I hoped to never meet them. Still best to see if I could get a better description of whatever was being done to me.

|Respiring Mutagen E: When not moving your stamina recovery increases drastically. Upgradeable|

Oh! Stamina recovery, that will probably be useful considering how often I seem to bottom out that resource. Also, dang, when did my mutagens get so full? Once I apply that bloodline I'll be completely maxed out on skills and mutagens. Here's hoping the theorized expansion to the number of slots happens soon. Level ten seems like a reasonable time for that. I suppose I can use these tokens to fuse some of my similar abilities together to make room. Ferrous and Lithic are the obvious first choice, seeing as they're basically both doing the same thing, so let's see what happens when they fuse.

–Confirm Fusion of: Ferrous C & Lithic F?–

–Fusion will result in: D Mutagen–

Yes, inflict whatever torments your sadistic designs have in store for me.

–Fusing–

–Received: Wolfram Mutagen: Your entire body is coated in a dense metallic substance that is highly resistant to various forms of damage.–

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And yep, there it goes. The bubbling pins and needles sensation that suddenly manifested across my entire body would forever be unpleasant and I knew for a fact no amount of experiencing it would ever make it anything but. This was certainly not helped by watching your scale covered flesh literally bubble like boiling water, dragging scales down into itself only to spit out oddly crystalline looking scales. You know, it’d be really nice to actually be able to see in color again just so I could at least guess at what I'm made of. I know ferrous is iron, but I've not heard of wolfram before.

"The heck just happened to you," William asked as his left head sniffed at me before asking, "It looked rather unpleasant."

"I just fused a couple of defensively inclined mutations together," I grunted giving myself a shake and hearing a far duller sound from my new scales, "Feel like I put on a ton of weight from it. You know what Wolfram is?"

"Wolfram?" Both of Will's answered in stereo, "Oh yeah, that's-," the both stopped and looked at each other making odd head gestures at each other before the right head continued, "I'm pretty sure that's what they called tungsten back when they first discovered it." The left head jumped in where the right stopped, "If your scales are tungsten, it looks like it's the metal's crystal form. Lots of interesting chemical history around the metal. Also fairly expensive, I think it goes for like three hundred bucks a kilo." His left head jumped back in, giving me a critical look, "With how dense the stuff is and how thick those scales I wouldn't be surprised if you literally did weigh a ton or two now."

Tungsten? As in the material I'd watch bounce a black tipped fifty cal with nothing more than a quarter inch deep dent and that had famously pierced entire sand dunes and killed the tank hiding on the other side tungsten? Did I even need to worry about getting hit anymore? Probably like a knight in full plate, bashing attacks likely still carry through. Still a massive relief.

"Well, bully for me I guess." tilting my head curiously at the two headed wolf, "Wait, how'd you know that? Are you secretly a chemist and didn't tell me?"

"Chemistry minor," both heads stated before looking bashfully at each other and the left continued, "Actually have a scholarship for football at UT, but have been considering switching my major." the right perked up, "Why, have ideas?"

If I still had hands I'd be rubbing them together evilly, "Oh, I have many plans. Reading into history teaches you about all sorts of useful chemicals they used in war." I bet a few of those too effective chemicals could literally melt bosses. "Oh, what I wouldn't give for a blacksmith or gunsmith."

"I'm both actually," Jack said landing nearby, "Before you ask, no I can't start building you anything. I'd need a lathe, forge, and a half dozen other tools to even get started on simple things much less whatever over ambitious silliness you're thinking of. That's assuming these twiggy wasp legs can even properly grip and wield half of those tools." My sudden idea of a horde of monsters clad in an unholy mix of crusader plate and Great War kit marching across a battlefield armed with cannons and chemical weapons under the banner of god withered on the vine. It would make an absolutely bitchin metal album cover though.

"I actually know how to make a basic forge," I admitted, "No shortage of clay in this part of the state with the clay layer a couple feet down, could probably make a decent set of bellows as well, charcoal's not too hard to make either."

"Where'd you learn to make all that stuff?" Will asked curiously as the emu girl wandered over.

"Believe it or not, Utube." I laughed as the conversation drifted into more normal grounds as people continued to drift over at Damian's direction until finally everyone was gathered around and chatting about various aspects of their old life, what they should fuse, and what their latest mutation had afflicted them with. I felt sorry for poor Will who had picked up another tail to go with his extra head and Jeremy who now had so many teeth crammed into his mouth that he could barely talk.

"Alright," I slapped my tail on the ground, startling even myself with a sound like a dumpster being thrown through a wall and damaging the asphalt. It did succeed at calling everyone's attention to me at least. "I know it's late and most of us would probably like to go curl up in the end zone or the decayed ruins of a plush chair, so I'll try to be quick. Most of us have probably noticed that we have an 'evolution' available. This will doubtlessly be useful, but seeing as we know nothing about how this will work or if it has any crippling side effects, such as locking us in place for a week or temporarily driving us feral with hunger I want the first couple to be done one at a time and by one of our smaller people. But before dealing with that, I want us to be as equipped to deal with any potential rampages as possible, which means another unknown. Anyone else get a Bloodline when we killed the area boss?" A small sea of shaking heads and denials drifted back confirming only I’d received one. "Then I'll go ahead and try equipping mine, everyone be ready."

–Bloodline: Sabertail integration beginning–

–Estimated time until total absorption: 2:59–

It took very little time for me to realize this was a mistake, my vision seemed to somehow become even more monotone as a powerful need to vomit began to build in my guts. I tried to turn away so the building sickness hopefully wouldn't splatter over anyone, only to realize that I was once more trapped in a full bodied paralysis. This one at least felt more like traditional sleep paralysis rather than the horrid hot melting looseness that had presaged the Event, but finding yourself unable to control your body is never pleasant. Especially as I realized that breathing was outside my control, yet still happening. Has someone else taken control of my body!?

My vision seemed to blur and shift as the parking lot I had been in was replaced by a vast desert of rolling dunes. In the middle distance I spotted a bizarre cross between a camel and an ankylosaurus standing there as it munched on a thorny bush with the sun high overhead. The size of the beast became clear as the familiar silhouette of a twin tailed monster burst from the sand, its two bladed tails slashing seemingly effortlessly through its prey's armored exterior in a way that made me glad none of us had been hit by the attack. The blades of the tail and edge of the scorpion's claws seemed to glow a horrid vibrant red just before they tore away the dino-camel's defenses as the world slowed as if to emphasize these weapons.

As the camel toppled, the scene shifted like a slide projector turning to a mountainside field where groups of sparking armored goats were gathered facing outwards. The entire herd was clearly nervous as they watched something in the sky above with rapt attention. Then the thing in the sky dove. As it drew close, it launched its tail forwards like a harpoon, impaling one of the sparking rams and dragging it into the sky followed by the wails of the rest of the herd. The impaled goat bleated wildly as vorpal sharp claws tore away its armor with contemptuous ease.

So it went with dozens of scenes of dozens of heavily armored creatures being mercilessly dispatched by various cutting instruments of unnatural sharpness that made a mockery of their protection. Every time the attack was never clear, nothing more than a faint ghostly silhouette darting through the scene of death only to vanish with every new scene. Then finally a new scene where the creature was far more pronounced from its perch coiled atop a toppled titan.

Coated in metallic scales, a body like a thick corded rope coated in blades that ended in a single long curved saber, a mouth full of needle sharp teeth as it glared contemptuously down at me with serpentine eyes. I looked up at a transformed version of myself as it gazed expectantly down at myself with a silent demand that I too be like these visions. My reflection, bestowing without words the task that I too live up to this tradition it had shown me. This bloodline soaked in blood of those that thought themselves untouchable.

I smiled up at my reflection and cackled. As if that had ever been in question.

Then with a burst of every color known to man plus a couple extra, that was extra shocking after a day without seeing any colors, the vision shattered like glass. The shattered vision swirled about me for a moment before seeming to slam back together once again. The shattered plain of reality rippled like a pond, washing away the cracks to reveal me once again standing in the stadium parking lot. I cast a slow glance over everyone who was looking at me with open worry and hints of fear. A couple of them sported burns and injuries that hadn't been there before the vision and Omar clutched a shattered rake.

"And that is precisely why I want to be cautious around Evolution," I stated levelly as I urged my heartbeat to slow, "If that's what a Bloodline does, what will an evolution do to us?"